Interests: passion for wilderness and adventure travel; avid follower of public policy and politics; and gardening with his wife and 3-year-old daughter

What he reads: Bloomberg/ Businessweek and Environmentalleader.com; last book was Lawrence Anthony’s “The Elephant Whisperer”

With each passing year, the CEOs of major corporations grow more interested in the relationship between the environment and profitability. And when it comes to going green, they often aren’t sure where to start or what comes next.

In two years, the six-employee consultancy has built a client portfolio that stretches from the West Coast across Asia. They include Union Bank; Bakrie Telecom, one of Indonesia’s largest mobile network operators; Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer Huawei; and California-based Marvell Technologies.

Managing Partner Andrew Malk says environmentally savvy consumers, empowered by new technology, are in many cases driving corporate change by tracing what exactly goes into products and services.

Corporations, he says, also have become keenly aware of the limits of the world’s finite resources as they plot their own futures.

Q: Can you describe what motivated your journey from NGO work in the late 1990s to what you do today? Is the business community in a better position to effect change than nonprofits or regulators?

A: In 1995, I went to work at the World Resources Institute, an environmental think tank in Washington. I worked on a project to set up independent monitoring of the world’s primary forests. It turned out that IKEA was keenly interested in our work because, for the first time, they could figure out how to avoid sourcing their wood products from virgin forests. IKEA’s response convinced me of the vital role business plays in solving global environmental challenges.

The business community largely creates the choice of goods and services available in the economy. They have the power to offer better choices for the environment.

Q: Among consumers, there is often a disconnect between perceptions and the true impact of a business or industry on the environment? What’s your advice to time-pressed consumers who want to make informed choices?

A: I totally agree that we are asking too much of the consumer. Making the right environmental choice is often more challenging than making the right nutritional choice or figuring out the true dollar value of a product. There is a movement to consolidate certifications and ratings to simplify things. But already you can go to user-friendly websites such as

Q: What are some of the best businesses when it comes to being up-front about their carbon footprint and other impacts?

A: When it comes to being transparent about carbon footprints, a few notable companies are IBM, L’Oreal and UPS. In terms of companies with a significant presence in San Diego, HP, Qualcomm and Johnson & Johnson are leaders. These companies audit and publish their greenhouse gas emissions performance through forums like the Carbon Disclosure Project.